


The Keys Of Destruction

by fiones



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Original Character(s), Parallel Universes, Time Travel, Weird Plot Shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-13 01:51:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7133684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiones/pseuds/fiones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an attempt by Kaiba to bring Atem back from the Afterlife backfires, Yuugi and his friends find themselves transported to a parallel world where Atem has been reborn. The gang quickly learns that this new world may hold more surprises and dangers than theirs ever did, and getting home may prove difficult with a war looming overhead and a mysterious destiny placed before them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Missing

**Author's Note:**

> So, a couple of things before we get into this trash heap. First off, I wanna say that this is the first fic I've written in like two years. The first writing at all I've done in two years. And it's the first fic for this fandom I've done since like... 2005 or something like that. I don't really remember. All I'm saying is, it's been a hot minute. So please keep that in mind and try not to judge me too harshly. But! I do want you to judge me. This fic is un-beta'ed because honestly I work better that way. I find it much easier to just write, post, and move on. If I wait for it to beta'ed or to do thorough edits, I'll end up deleting my entire hard drive out of shame and anger haha. It's better for me to just get my work out there and start getting feedback and constructive criticism so I can improve my future writings. So I absolutely want to hear your critiques on this! Anything that can help me, whether it's characterization, plot, dialogue, or just my general prose. I'm absolutely open and available for all of that.
> 
> So that done, let's hit some check points for this fic before we move on.
> 
> 1.) Is this animeverse? Is this mangaverse? I don't know. For the most part it doesn't really matter, but if I had to judge I'd say this is more in line with the manga, because I go with the manga ending of Kaiba not being present for the Ceremonial Duel and also because Bakura is more actively involved and part of the group in the manga. He's actually their friend. But that said, I don't think it matters too much beyond that. Certainly I don't think that if you've only seen the anime that you won't be able to follow what's going on.
> 
> 2.) I play really fast and loose with the magical aspects of this series. Like... really loose.
> 
> 3.) I used name generators to come up with the names for pretty much all of the places that are gonna appear in this story. So don't ask me what they mean, because they don't mean anything. A computer made them up for me because I couldn't do it myself.
> 
> 4.) This story does feature original characters as part of the secondary cast. If you look at this like an arc in the series, then you'll remember most arcs have their own set of secondary characters who appear just for that plot and never again. The original characters in this story serve that purpose. They're not in it overly much, but they are there. They're entirely plot based so I hope people aren't too put off by them. They don't take away from the focus on the main canon crew.
> 
> 5.) I have this whole fic plotted out from beginning to end. There's not going to be any pairings. I may low-key throw in some hints here and there but no one is actually going to get together or have anything beyond light hints that can be taken platonically just as well. 
> 
> 6.) I was planning this fic since way before Dark Side of Dimensions came out, but it does take some cues from that film, especially here in the beginning and general set-up. However, in this verse, the movie didn't happen so if you haven't seen it or read any spoilers, don't worry about it.
> 
> I think that just about covers everything. Sorry to ramble on, I just needed to get all of that out of the way before we begin. Now it's time to get moving. I genuinely hope you guys enjoy this story and look forward to seeing how it unfolds as much as I look forward to unfolding it for you. Please leave me your thoughts and criticisms, they're a huge help and motivator. Thanks for your time!

If their story was a fantasy, then Yuugi Mutou was the Chosen One.

As it was, Seto Kaiba didn't believe in fantasies, in the ideas of Chosen Ones or destiny or a story mapped out from beginning to end with no chances for change or variables. If everything in this world was preordained than Seto Kaiba did not want to continue living in it. He had to believe, as he always had, that free will was the foundation on which mankind was built and would continue to build towards their future, whatever it may be. No prophecies or ancient tablets or pharaohs could convince him otherwise. He would build his own future how he saw fit.

And so Seto Kaiba did not believe Yuugi Mutou was the Chosen One, and if he wasn't, then that meant anyone could solve the Millennium Puzzle. So it hadn't been done before Yuugi, so what? Kaiba was nothing if not persistent, and at any rate, Yuugi had left the Puzzle behind to be buried under the sands of Egypt. As far as Kaiba was concerned, Yuugi had given up his right to it. Given up his right to be the only one to put the pieces back together. Now Kaiba would claim it instead.

That thought sustained him through the months following the Ceremonial Duel. The duel that had crowned a new King of Games and sent his rival to the Afterlife. The duel that he'd missed.

Digging up the Puzzle proved remarkably easy. Fitting it back together took more time. Still, he made progress, slowly but surely slotting each piece back into place. Every satisfying click of one golden piece settling into its rightful place sent a shiver of excitement down Kaiba's spine. He could feel it coming, the awakening. Or re-awakening, as it were.

Seto Kaiba didn't believe in fantasies, but he also didn't believe that this could be their ending. Didn't believe that there wasn't an ending, not for him. There had to be more, had to be something else after this. And whatever it was that came next, he was going to seize it with both hands, build it to match his vision. Even if that meant spending hours upon hours locked up in his hours putting together an old artifact he didn't really believe was magical. Even if it meant he had to drag his rival back to the world of the living by the follicles of his golden bangs.

\---

The problem with beginnings, as with endings, is that they don't always match up evenly. The end of something for someone might be the beginning or the middle for someone else. There is no perfect alignment, no perfect moment where the curtain falls and everything is over. Take a bow, exit stage left.  
Some things go on. Some things never end.

And there's always someone who suffers for that.

\---

School had never been the bright spot of Yuugi Mutou's day, but the past six months in particular had been particularly tedious. He'd spent too much time away that when he came back he was completely lost, and not having had much interest in academics to begin with, getting back into the swing of things had proven difficult. Still, he'd pushed himself as hard and as the school year neared its end, Yuugi was proud to say he'd be coming out on top of the class. It wasn't the accomplishment he'd be best known for, he knew that, but it meant something to him just the same. He'd made his mother proud, made his grandfather proud. That made it all worth it.

Even so, the actual act of being in school was still a drag most days, and this particular Thursday even more so. Yuugi couldn't even say what the teacher was going on about, too busy staring out the window as he was. One hand was gently touching the cartouche hung around his neck, tracing the familiar hieroglyphs etched into it.

This day marked the six month anniversary of the Ceremonial Duel. Such a short time, in the grand scheme of things, but for Yuugi it felt as though years had already gone by. He'd believed, or at least he'd told himself he believed, that things would get easier with time, more and more each day. That was what they always said happens after someone you love dies. Time heals everything. And in some ways that was true. He was happier now than he had been those first few days. He could smile easier, laugh louder. There was genuine joy in him, the eternal optimist, and nothing could keep him down for long. Even if he'd lost one half of himself, the part of him that was left behind was doing alright. But the silence in his head was deafening.

The lesson ended without Yuugi noticing. He continued to stare out the window, lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to the world moving on around him until a book was dropped loudly on his desk. He nearly fell back off his chair and was only saved by Jounouchi steadying him from behind. “Woooow there, Earth to Yuugi! Whatcha staring at out there? See any cute girls?”

Yuugi ignored him and looked up at Anzu, who had dropped the book on his desk. She had a light smile on her face, clearly amused at his reaction, but Yuugi could see it in the way she looked at him that she knew that he hadn't been looking at anything. “You alright, Yuugi? You've been awfully quiet today.”

The gentleness in her voice was enough to make Yuugi feel more relaxed than he had all day. He smiled at her, a real smile, and nodded. “I'm alright, just a bit tired is all. I didn't get much sleep last night.” That much was at least true.

She knew he wasn't telling her the whole truth but she didn't press him. If Yuugi wanted to share with her, he would. Anzu wasn't going to push him anymore than he pushed her, than any of them pushed each other in the months after Atem died.

“What were you doing, playing video games until 4am again?” Jounouchi asked, pulling up a chair next to Yuugi while the rest of their class started to make their way out. Anzu perched herself on the edge of the desk in front of Yuugi while behind them Honda was talking to Bakura, who had actually shown up at school that day. That was a win for the group, even if none of them would voice it.

Yuugi laughed, shaking his head. “No, actually, I had some ideas for a new game and I was writing them out. I got a bit too caught up in it and didn't even realize how late it was. I think I like the way it's coming together.”

“You'll have to show us the next time we come over,” Anzu said, her smile widening.

The sight brought a light blush to Yuugi's face. He quickly played it off as embarrassment.“No, no, not yet! It still needs a lot of work. Maybe in a few weeks when I've had more time to work on it.”

“Sounds great!” Jounouchi's smile matched Anzu's, and he was leaning towards Yuugi with eyes bright with enthusiasm. “We'll have to be your beta testers, you know, to test it out and all that. We'll even do it for free!”

“What are we doing for free?” Honda asked as he and Bakura joined the gathering around Yuugi's desk.  
“Yuugi's working on a new game. We're going to test it for him!”

Honda perked up immediately. “Oh yeah? Well if it's for Yuugi then I'll definitely do it for free. Count me in!”

“Is it a table top game?” Bakura asked, looking hopeful. “You know I'm much better at those.”

Yuugi flushed, genuinely embarrassed this time. “I don't know, maybe it could be? I've seriously only just started working on it last night! Jounouchi is getting ahead of himself.”

Jounouchi shrugged, still grinning. “Whatever, I'm sure it'll be great whatever you do!”

“I'm sure it will be, too,” Anzu said, cutting the boys off, “but in the mean time, we should make plans to all hang out! It's been awhile since we've had the time to do something, all five of us. What's everyone doing on Sunday?”

They talked it over and settled on a time and place to get together that Sunday. Bakura took some prodding, but even he agreed to be there. Once they were done, the group split up for the day. Anzu had work, Jounouchi had plans with his sister, and Honda was babysitting his nephew. Yuugi and Bakura walked part of the way home together before heading in opposite directions.

Yuugi fell into silence as he trekked back to the Kame Game Shop. The days when he walked home were always the worst. He needed his friends, needed someone to talk to him, to keep him distracted. By himself, he always found himself talking inside his head and forgetting that no one would answer. Six months later and he still wasn't used to that part. He wasn't sure he ever would be.

The other problem with walking home alone was that Yuugi was fairly easy to recognize. Being something of a celebrity, there was days when Yuugi would find himself frequently stopped on his way by eager fans wanting to duel him, wanting his advice on how to become better duelists, wanting his autograph, amongst other, stranger things. Yuugi never turned these fans away, always smiling graciously and being polite, but most days he wished they would leave him be. Especially since half the things they wanted to talk to him about, the duels they praised him for, said inspired them, hadn't even been him at all.

As the Kame Game Shop came into view, Yuugi could see that today was going to be one of those days. Someone was standing near the entrance of the shop, bouncing on the heels of their feet, looking around excitedly. They seemed to be looking for someone and Yuugi could easily guess who. Putting on his best smile, Yuugi continued on his way. At least today there was only one person. He could handle one.

The closer Yuugi got the shop, the more he could make out the person waiting for him. It was a girl, about his age, maybe older. She was tall for a girl, maybe only an inch or two shorter than Kaiba. Thick, light brown hair fell to her waist. She was wrapped up in a long, light pink overcoat that seemed to suit her soft features.

When she caught sight of him, the girl grinned widely and moved forward to meet him halfway. “Yes, hi, excuse me! You're Yuugi Mutou, right? Sorry to bother you!” They stopped in front of each other, with her clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth while Yuugi smiled up at her, waiting. “I know you probably get this sort of thing a lot and I really don't want to be that person but see, my little sister, she's a huge fan of yours! Has been since she heard about you beating Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom. But it's been awhile since there's been a tournament so she's been pretty sad about not getting to see you duel.” She paused for a moment, her smile fading. “She's sick, you know, has been for the past few years. Duel Monsters has been the only thing that's really brought her any joy. I don't get it, myself, but if it's for her...”

She dug into her pocket and produced a card. Holding it out to him, her smile returned, brighter this time than it was before. “Could you sign this for her, please? It would really mean a lot!”

Yuugi listened to her story with rapt attention and felt his heart leap a bit with gratitude. He always appreciated the fans that he had, but somehow it meant more when the fan was a kid. Being the hero in the eyes of a child was a thousand times better than having the respect of all the best duelists in the game.

“Absolutely! I'd be honored to do so!” Returning her smile, he took the card she offered. “Oh, Athena! Is this your sister's favorite card?”

The girl nodded. “Yeah, she loves all those fairy cards. Or any card with pretty girls on them, honestly. I had a hard time sneaking it out of her deck for this, she always keeps it close. Oh! I almost forgot.” She dug into her pocket again and produced a pen, which she handed to Yuugi. “Seriously, thank you so much for doing this.”

“It's not a problem at all,” he said, taking the pen from her. “I'm glad I can do something for her. What's her name?”

“Chizu.”

“Alright then... Chizu...” He paused for a moment, pondering what exactly he wanted to say, but quickly realized there was only one thing he could say. He wrote out his message in his best handwriting and signed his name. “Here, thank should do it!”

The girl accepted the card back from him and held it up to read what he'd written. “'Chizu, always believe in your friends and trust in the Heart of the Cards! All the best, Yuugi Mutou.'” She lowered her gaze to meet his, her eyes glossy and wet. She reached out to grasp both of Yuugi's hands in hers.“Thank you, Mr. Mutou. Thank you so, so, so much. This will mean a lot to her, you have no idea.”

“You're welcome! And I mean what I wrote, I wish her all the best. And for you, too! You're a good sister for doing this.”

“You think so?” A happy flush rose in her cheeks at his words. “I hope you're right. Anyway, though, I've taken up enough of your time. I'll leave you be now. Thank you again!”

Still smiling and with an extra bounce to her step, the girl turned from him and started to head down the street. He watched her go for a moment, then started back towards the shop, feeling incredibly lighter than he had a few minutes earlier. He was nearly to the door when he realized that he hadn't given her her pen back.

“Hey, kid!”

As if she had read his mind, the girl was calling out to him from down the street. Yuugi turned to look at her, expecting to see her heading back towards him to collect her pen, but instead she stood her ground. There was something odd about the way she stood, about the way she looked back at him, as if she was standing much farther away than she actually was. For a moment he even thought he could see right through her.

With both hands on her hips and a wide grin on her face, she called to him. “Try to keep your chin up, alright? Things are gonna work out just fine. You're gonna make it fine. That's what makes you such a good partner after all!”

Partner. The word swept through him like a shock-wave, leaving him standing in stunned silence watching as she disappeared. Partner. He hadn't heard anyone call him that in six months. Hearing it now, in someone else's voice, felt so unbelievably wrong. But why? Why had she said that, used that word in particular? It had seemed so deliberate, so specific. But how could it have been? Whoever she was, she couldn't have known.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Yuugi shook his head. He was just being paranoid, reading too much into things. It was clearly just a coincidence. There was no reason for him to pay any mind to it.

Still, as he entered the Game Shop and greeted his grandfather, Yuugi couldn't shake the feeling that it had meant something, somehow. He just couldn't begin to figure out what.

\---

Seto Kaiba was used to disappointment. Whether it was people, places, or ideas, most things in life proved to be disappointments more often than not. Even he had been a disappointment to himself on more than one occasion. It was familiar, and he'd learned over time how to learn from it and move on.

This was different.

This wasn't just a disappointment, this was a failure. His failure. And it was a failure he couldn't afford. He'd staked everything on this.

He sat in his dark office, staring at the gold object in front of him, willing it to do something. Anything. Show some sign of life or even some weird mystic magic that Yuugi had always claimed it was capable of. But there was nothing. All the time, all the resources he'd poured into this, and there was nothing. Not even a whisper.

The silence was driving him crazy.

How had he failed? That was the question running through his head over and over again. He'd done what he was supposed to do. He'd solved the Puzzle, put it back together all on his own. That should have been enough. The Puzzle was his connection to the world of the living. If his death had caused it to shatter, then reassembling it should have brought him back. Somehow.

At any other time, Kaiba would have said that line of thinking made no sense, but nothing involving the Millennium Puzzle had ever made much sense to Kaiba. This was all he knew to be true, and if this was not enough, then what was? What more could he do? For all the faith he put in science, science had not yet developed a way to raise the dead, especially not someone who was supposed to have been dead for several thousands of years. The supposed magic of the Puzzle was the only possibility.

And yet it had failed.

The weight of that realization was suffocating, pushing down harder and harder on to his chest until he was physically doubled over his desk, clutching the edges of it so hard his knuckles turned white, struggling to breathe.

He had failed.

A startled laugh escaped his lips as he looked down at the golden pyramid and realized that he could probably smash his own skull in against the hard points on all four ends. That thought had lived on the outskirts of his mind for the past several months, always present but never at the forefront because if it was, if he acknowledged that that was his most likely bet, then he admitted that Atem was beyond his reach in this world. And even now he couldn't accept that. There had to be something else he could do. Something else he was missing.

As if summoned by his thoughts, the dark screen of his computer sprang to life. Kaiba shut his eyes against the sudden light, little red dots dancing across the inside of his eyelids. He waited a minute for his eyes to adjust before slowly opening them back up. His computer had been turned off and Kaiba certainly hadn't pressed anything to accidentally turn it on. Something else had caused it. As the bright screen came into focus, Kaiba could see screen was white with text splashed across the center. He squinted at it, trying to make out the words. What he read made his heart beat faster in his chest.

YUUGI MUTOU IS THE KEY TO EVERYTHING

There was nothing else on the screen. Kaiba stared at the words, reading them over and over again, his heart still pounding with each repetition. Yuugi Mutou is the key to everything.

Kaiba had to throw his head back and laugh. Of course. He'd been an absolute idiot not to figure it out himself. The Puzzle alone was not the answer. The Puzzle needed Yuugi. It needed its host. It was all so simply now that he had it spelled out for him. He almost wanted to punch the computer screen for pointing it out, for making him feel like a fool.

But Kaiba couldn't be bothered. He couldn't even begin to worry about what had caused the words to appear on his screen in the first place. As far as he was concerned, the universe was sending him a message that the path he was on was the right one. He knew exactly what he needed to do now. It was just a matter of timing.

He would not fail this time.

\---

By Sunday, Yuugi had put the strange incident outside the Kame Game Shop out of his mind. There was no point dwelling on it, not when he had a full day of spending time with his friends ahead of him. The gang had all met up at Yuugi's early in the morning. His grandfather bid them farewell, telling Yuugi to remember to call him if he thought he was going to be late. Yuugi pretended not to notice the wink his grandfather gave him with a nod in Anzu's direction. They'd gone back and forth on how exactly they all wanted to spend the day, ultimately deciding on going to KaibaLand. There was enough there to keep them busy for hours and for all of them to find something that appealed to them. It had been some time before they'd had the chance to go to the park and there had been a number of renovations and new attractions added since then. There was a lot for them to check out, and that got them all excited as they made their way to the park. Even Bakura seemed pleased to be there.  
  
In the first few hours they hit up as many rides as they could. The lines were long, even before noon, but they made it on to a few that were worth the wait. Yuugi, Honda, and Jounouchi enjoyed the big roller coasters that took them high into the air and got everyone screaming as it came back down. Bakura couldn't quite stomach them, so he and Anzu stayed on the ground. Once the lines started to get way too long for any of them to bother with, they headed out to find food.  
  
Lunch turned out to be something of an ordeal. Everyone wanted different food and for some reason the vendors weren't all together, so they found themselves hoping from one food joint to the next trying to get everyone fed. It took much longer than was strictly necessary but they had fun just the same. If nothing else it gave them the opportunity to plan out the rest of their day. With the sun high in the sky, they decided that next they'd hit up the water rides. After that they'd head to the large arcade.  
  
They were making their way towards the pool with the large water slide, chatting away about what games they were excited to play in the arcade, when they heard a commotion behind them. They came to a stop together, looking around to see what the fuss was about. It didn't take long to find the source. Behind them, the thick crowd of people was parting like a wave to make a path for Seto Kaiba himself as he strode purposefully towards Yuugi. Kaiba was rarely seen in his own park these days, so an appearance from him was considered something of a treat. People had pulled out their phones and were taking pictures as he passed, but Kaiba paid them no mind. He was singularly focused on Yuugi. His piercing gaze was uncomfortable, and Yuugi started to fidget, wishing they could just ignore him and leave. But his unexpected appearance had them all rooted to the spot, waiting for him, even as Jounouchi let out an annoyed groan. “What the hell does this guy want now?”  
  
Anzu elbowed him in the ribs. “Shh, don't be rude already! You'll get us kicked out!”  
  
“It's been awhile since we've seen him, hasn't it?” Bakura wondered, looking him over. “He doesn't look so well.”  
  
He really didn't, Yuugi realized as Kaiba got close to them. He looked much paler than Yuugi remembered him ever being, with dark circles under his eyes. And Kaiba had always been thin as a rail but Yuugi couldn't help but think he'd lost weight. He should probably have been at home resting rather than walking around the crowded park in the middle of the day, but here he was, looking as smug as always.  
  
“Hello, Yuugi. It's been a long time,” Kaiba said as way of greeting, deliberately ignoring Yuugi's friends standing around him. Jounouchi made to say something about that but Kaiba cut him off. “You seem to be missing something, Yuugi.”  
  
Yuugi frowned at him, confused. Missing something? What could he be missing that Kaiba would notice? Then it clicked. They hadn't seen Kaiba in months, not since their trip to Egypt. “I'm not missing anything, Kaiba. The Puzzle is gone. You already know that.”  
  
Kaiba's eyebrows went up. Yuugi couldn't decide if it was an amused look or an annoyed one. Probably both. “Is it indeed? Are you certain about that?”  
  
“Of course we're certain, Kaiba,” Anzu said, moving forward to stand at Yuugi's side. “The Millennium Puzzle was buried in the desert in Egypt. We told you this before. Why are you bringing it up now?”  
  
“Because,” Kaiba said, coolly, leveling his gaze to meet hers, “I find it hard to believe that after all the nonsense you people spouted about your bonds of friendship that you would simply leave him buried out there.”  
  
The effect of those words was instantaneous. Honda and Jounouchi both started to hurl insults at him while Anzu got defensive. Bakura stayed quiet, ignoring Kaiba and turning instead towards Yuugi to see what he would do. Yuugi didn't say anything, but the tension in his body and the anger in his eyes was unmistakeable.  
  
Kaiba smiled one of his smug smiles that always got Jounouchi riled up, but before his friend could punch the man's teeth out, Yuugi stepped forward. “We didn't leave him buried.” His voice was even, not giving away any of his anger, but still firm. “We left the Puzzle. Atem wasn't in the Puzzle anymore.”  
  
“So you keep saying,” Kaiba spat back, clearly annoyed at the answer. “You'll forgive me if I don't quite believe you.”  
  
“Why would we lie about something like this?” Anzu shot back, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Kaiba. “He's gone, Kaiba. We saw him leave.”  
  
That brought the smug look back to Kaiba's face. “I didn't see him leave. So I don't believe you.”  
  
“Is this seriously what you came here to talk about?” Yuugi sounded tired, the fight draining out of him as quickly as it had come. This wasn't what he wanted to be talking about right now. This wasn't how he wanted to be spending his day. Whatever Kaiba seemed to think, they clearly weren't going to be able to convince him otherwise. Yuugi was ready to give up this one fight if it got Kaiba to leave them alone.  
  
A light came into Kaiba's eyes as he turned to Yuugi, bright and unsettling. “No,” he said, voice oddly quiet, strangely reverent. “I came to talk about this.”  
  
And there, in the middle of KaibaLand park, with the sun beating down on them, with throngs of people moving around them, in the face of Yuugi Mutou and his friends, Seto Kaiba pulled from his coat the completely reassembled Millennium Puzzle.  
  
The world around them seemed to fall silent in that moment. Yuugi couldn't hear the crowds of people around them, carrying on as if nothing had happened, as if this didn't matter. He couldn't hear the sounds of his friends yells of anger and surprise. Everything around him was as silent now as the inside of his head had been for the last six months.  
  
The first sound that broke through to him was his own voice. “How?”  
  
“What do you mean 'how'? I had it dug up of course.”  
  
Yuugi shook his head in stunned disbelief. “Why would you do that? Why wouldn't you just... just let it be? You had no business, no right at all to go back there! The Puzzle, it isn't yours! Why would you do this?”  
  
Kaiba raised one eyebrow at him, seemingly unable to understand why Yuugi would even ask that question. “Why do you think?”  
  
“He isn't in there anymore, Kaiba!” Jounouchi yelled, drawing a few looks from passersby. “What the hell is wrong with you?! You can't just go digging this stuff up just because you can't get it through your thick head that he's gone.”  
  
“Not just gone,” said Bakura, speaking up for the first time since Kaiba arrived. “He's dead. Death is fairly final.”  
  
Those words seemed to shake a nerve in Kaiba as he fell silent for a moment, looking each of the group over one by one. Finally he said, “It never was before.”  
  
“It is now.” The note of finality in Yuugi's voice wasn't lost on Kaiba, who now turned his glare on him.  
“If you really believe that,” Kaiba hissed, taking a step towards Yuugi, “then take this. Put it back on and tell he's gone. Do that and I'll believe you.”  
  
The request, as simply as it was, caught Yuugi completely off-guard. He took a step back, looking from Kaiba's dark expression to the golden Puzzle in his hands. It looked exactly as he remembered, as it appeared still in his dreams, both sleeping and waking. If he hadn't known it had been buried in pieces beneath the sands of Egypt, Yuugi would think it had been kept a museum where it was well taken care of and admired, so perfect did it still look. Without thinking, Yuugi's hand went up to touch the cartouche at his neck. It brought him some comfort these days to have with him, but there were still times when he missed the weight of the Puzzle, missed the cold, hard feel of the chain that kept it in place. Seeing it in front of him now, he could feel it like a phantom limb around his neck, pressed against his chest. And yet...  
  
And yet the Puzzle was empty now. Yuugi knew that, knew that with his whole heart that if he took the Puzzle from Kaiba and placed it around his neck that it would not be the same as it had been. It would feel lighter, he thought, no longer carrying the weight of a lost soul and a destiny delayed 3000 years.  
  
But Kaiba needed this. That was the painful truth of the matter. Kaiba needed to see for himself that the Puzzle was empty. Yuugi already knew, believed and accepted it. If this was what it took for Kaiba to finally believe for himself, to allow him to start moving on, then Yuugi could do that for him. It was just a pendant after all.  
  
If his friends had voiced protests, Yuugi didn't hear them. Without speaking, he stepped forward, defiant, looking Kaiba dead in the eyes. Keeping their gazes locked tight, Yuugi reached out and took the Puzzle from Kaiba's hands.  
  
And something happened.  
  
The minute his skin touched the cool surface of the Puzzle, he felt a jolt shoot through his entire body. He couldn't move, couldn't let go, even as the electricity spread through him. Then he felt a push, like someone had punched him square in the back. The momentum carried him forward until he felt like he was falling. He couldn't see Kaiba anymore, couldn't see the park or anyone or anything. All around him was just a blur of color, flowing together like paint in water. Every color Yuugi had ever seen, and some he hadn't seem, some he wasn't even sure were real or had a name. At any other time the sight might've made him feel sick, but here he just felt dazed. Full of wonder.  
  
Then just like that, it was over.  
  
The world steadied itself, bringing Yuugi to a standstill lying on his side, the Millennium Puzzle clutched firmly to his chest. Ahead of him, all he could see for miles and miles was red and blue. At first he thought he still wasn't seeing right until he noticed that amidst the blue was splashes of white. Clouds. As this registered in his mind, Yuugi realized he could move again and he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Once he was up, Yuugi saw that he wasn't alone here. Kaiba was close by, struggling to unwrap himself from his long coat. Anzu had seemingly landed on Honda and was trying to help him up. Jounouchi was trying to stand without falling over, while Bakura, who seemed fine, watched in amusement.  
  
All around them was red sand. A flat desert as far as Yuugi could see. But this desert wasn't like the one they'd been to in Egypt. This desert seemed dead. The only sound apart from them was the wind blowing. There was no sign of life, plant or animal.  
  
Nothing alive except them.

 


	2. Wandering

The sun was high in the sky with no clouds in sight to give them shelter from the blazing heat. The red horizon seemed to go on forever with nothing to indicate which way to go, let alone give an idea of where exactly they were.  
  
This was the immediate concern once everyone had found their feet and taken in their surroundings. Jounouchi was the first to react.

  
“What the hell did you do, Kaiba?!”   
  
Kaiba ignored him, instead turning his attention to their surroundings. His eyes were bright and wild, almost predatory. He scanned the horizon with sharp intent, as if he fully expected to see something out there. Something that would make sense of this, in Kaiba's mind. Yuugi had a strong inkling he knew exactly what, or who, Kaiba expected to see. But there was still nothing.  
  
Jounouchi made to grab Kaiba by his coat. “Are you even listening to me?! What the hell did you do? Where in the hell are we?”  
  
His hands were swatted away as Kaiba finally turned his attention towards him and the rest of the group. Irritation was already beginning to creep into his face, either because he didn't see what he'd hoped to see or because he was annoyed Jounouchi was there. Probably both. “I did nothing. This only happened after Yuugi took the Puzzle. Interrogate him.”  
  
“Yuugi didn't do this!” Anzu had stepped forward now, hands on her hips, anger written plainly across her face. “He doesn't have that kind of power. You probably did something to the Puzzle! If that even is the real Puzzle, anyway. Maybe it's some kind of device that gives off electrical waves that's making us all dream this. Or who knows, maybe you developed a way to teleport and dragged us all out here for some reason.”  
  
Those suggestions made Kaiba roll his eyes. “I can assure you, I've done no such thing. The Puzzle is real and I did nothing to it that would make this happen except put it together.”  
  
Anzu made to respond to that but Yuugi stepped forward and spoke up. “He's right about that at least, Anzu. This definitely is the real Millennium Puzzle.” He was still holding it close to his chest, running his fingers along the sharp sides. Even without having seen it being assembled, Yuugi knew that much was true. He'd know the Puzzle anywhere. The weight and feel of it was just as it ever was, in a way Yuugi was sure no one could ever replicate accurately. Not even Kaiba, will all his technology and resources. The Puzzle was one of a kind.  
  
“I don't know if this is a hallucination either, Anzu,” Honda said, coming to stand at her side. “Not virtual reality either. It feels way too real, you know? I already feel like I'm getting sunburned!”   
  
“Tell me about it,” Bakura muttered to himself, desperately wishing he didn't have such pale, sensitive skin. If this was real, he definitely wasn't going to be leaving this place without looking like a peeling tomato.   
  
“Setting aside how we got here,” Yuugi said, raising his voice to bring the focus to him, “where exactly IS here?”  
  
Jounouchi blinked at him in surprise. “It's got to be Egypt, hasn't it? I mean with the connection to the Puzzle, that's the only place that makes sense.”  
  
“This doesn't look like Egypt,” Anzu pointed out, taking a look around for herself. “At least no part of it that we ever saw. The sand there was never this red.”  
  
“Or empty,” added Bakura.  
  
Yuugi shook his head. “I don't think think it's Egypt, either. But wherever this is, there's gotta be some place we can- hey, hey Kaiba, wait!”  
  
Kaiba ignored him as he continued to walk away with the sun to his back. He stood at his full height and strode forward with purpose. At any other time, Yuugi would have thought it was because Kaiba knew exactly where he was going, but he knew that this had to be for show. Unless Kaiba was lying and did know where they were, or if he had some cosmic level instinct guiding him, then there was no way he knew he was going in the right direction.  
  
Jounouchi swore loudly. “Where is that idiot going? He can't seriously just leave us here!”  
  
“Should we follow him, then?” Anzu asked, shuffling on her feet, not at all looking confident that that was a good idea.   
  
Silence fell over the group as they watched Kaiba get further and further away from them until Yuugi sighed deeply. “I think we have to follow him. It's not a good idea for us to split up. We're better off together, and if Kaiba did bring us here on purpose then he's the only who knows the way to go.”  
  
His friends grumbled at the suggestion but ultimately they all agreed that Yuugi was right. So they set off together, hurrying to close some of the distance between them and Kaiba.   
  
Without Kaiba participating, the conversation amongst the group was much less argumentative, though they still weren't able to decide what exactly they thought happened or where they were. They were all willing to say that this likely wasn't some kind of shared dream or hallucination, and if it was virtual reality then it was the best any of them had ever experienced. Jounouchi continued to insist that Kaiba had done this, had brought them out here, but Yuugi shook his head.  
  
“I really don't think it was him, at least not on purpose. If it was just us, then maybe I'd believe that, but why would he drop himself out here, too? I can't imagine he'd do that to Mokuba.”  
  
The mention of the younger Kaiba brother brought the mood down even more as all of them realized that if they had in fact been dropped onto another continent, well away from Japan, then their families back home would have no idea where they were or what happened to them. And until they found some semblance of civilization, they had no way of contacting them. All of their cell phones had stopped working altogether, not even turning on.   
  
Yuugi could picture his grandfather having to call his mother and tell her that Yuugi was missing. He could practically hear her crying in his ears. She'd think he'd been kidnapped or run away or something else horrible. She'd blame herself, and so would his grandfather, and Yuugi had no way to tell them that he was alright, that they weren't to blame. He had no way to comfort them, reassure them that he was alright. The thought made his heart sink to his feet. Nothing else seemed to matter then, not the where, the why, or the how. They just needed to get out. Get home.   
  
\---  
  
The desert ended up not being entirely empty after all. They did come across the occasional small plant and while there weren't any snakes or small mammals running around, there were quite a few large bugs flying around. They never got close enough to determine what exactly they were, but from a distance they looked like beetles. Still, it wasn't much. Yuugi didn't think he'd ever seen someplace so completely barren and lifeless.   
  
It was eerie.  
  
The heat was excruciating during the day, and the group, including Kaiba, had to stop often. They had no food or water on hand. An unspoken fear was settling over the group as the sun began to set and the temperature drop. If they didn't find other people or some kind of oasis very soon, they ran the risk of dehydration and starvation. During the day, they'd had to shed layers of clothes and leave them out in the sand to keep from overheating. Yuugi's school jacket had been passed around from person to person to hold over their head to try to keep even a little bit cool, keep the sun off their skin. It ended up going back to Bakura most often, as he was already starting to look red and irritated.  
  
This was only the first day, and not even a full day at that. Yuugi didn't want to think about what would happen if this went on for another day or more. They simply wouldn't survive.   
  
As night descended, they settled down together, wishing they'd kept some of their discarded clothes as a chill swept over the desert. Kaiba, who had stayed ahead of them the whole time, made his way back to them without a word. He'd had the good sense to keep his trench coat, tucked under his arm for the majority of the day. Now he draped it over himself as he situated himself down to sleep. They had a brief, quiet discussion about whether they should have someone on watch but ended up deciding it wasn't needed. Unless this desert turned into a completely different place at night, there was no real reason to keep a look out.  
  
Nonetheless, Yuugi couldn't sleep. The strangeness of this place and the situation they were in left him unsettled. While the others got their rest, Yuugi stayed up, holding the Puzzle close. The light of the moon reflected it off it, giving it a strange, silver glow. It was comforting, having it so close again, even if it was silent. Even if it was as empty as the desert around them. Yuugi ran his hands along the grooves and edges, still so familiar despite his time without it. It was like a home-coming, in some small way. He wished Kaiba had at least put the Puzzle on some kind of chain or cord, though. He'd had to keep it in his hands all day, sometimes wrapping it in his shirt when his hands got too sweaty to hold it properly. Jounouchi and Anzu had both offered to take it for him for a bit but he'd refused. Now that he had it again, he felt the need to keep it with him. Keep it safe.   
  
Turning his attention up towards the moon that hung low above them, Yuugi was caught off guard by the sight of it. He blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. For the first time, he found himself wondering if maybe he'd been wrong all along and this was a dream or some kind of game. That was the only explanation he could come up with for what he was seeing.   
  
The moon was blue. Not a deep blue, but a soft blue like the clearest ocean water. Yuugi could've played that off as some trick of the light were it not for the surface of the moon. The dark crevices and craters that marked the moon Yuugi knew were gone. The moon in this sky was smooth, with only small dark smudges here and there. It was larger, too, than the moon Yuugi knew. It reminded him of the pictures he'd seen of the distant planet Neptune.  
  
It was this sight, more than anything else, that finally made Yuugi start to feel afraid.  
  
\---  
  
Yuugi wasn't aware that he'd fallen asleep until he woken up by a strange feeling in his gut. He jerked upright. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, he could see the first rays of light were starting to spill over the red hills. That seemed odd to Yuugi since sunlight had never been enough to wake him before. But then maybe it was a combination of the light and the uncomfortable feeling of sleeping in sand. Or maybe it was just the general unease he'd felt the whole night, that had kept him up for the majority of it. Still, that didn't explain the nagging feeling in his stomach that something wasn't right.  
  
“Get up.”  
  
A shiver went down Yuugi's spine. The voice had come from behind him, and he could feel their presence at his back. He didn't need to look to know that whoever it was had weapons. Around him, he could hear the sounds of his friends being roused in the same manner. Jounouchi was putting up a struggle, he could hear, but Anzu quickly reprimanded him, telling him to cooperate or he'd get hurt. Thankfully Jounouchi and the others seemed to follow her advice. Yuugi could see them out of the corner of his eyes, standing up and letting themselves be patted down for weapons. In front of him, Yuugi saw Kaiba getting the same treatment. There was pure rage in his bright blue eyes, but for once he kept his mouth shut. Yuugi was grateful for that. They didn't need to tempt fate in this unfamiliar place with these unfamiliar people.  
  
The Puzzle was still in his hands as Yuugi stood up. There was a moment where he considered dropping it into the sand and hoping no one would notice. Then maybe he could come back later, somehow, and find it again. If not, then it would be lost to the sands as it was meant to have been anyway. Better that, he thought, than having these strangers take it.  
  
But the moment passed and Yuugi found he couldn't let it go.  
  
The person behind him moved forward to give Yuugi the same pat down the others had gotten.   
  
As expected, as soon as the person moved around to stand in front of Yuugi, they took the Puzzle from him without a single word. Part of him wanted to fight, to keep it firmly in his grasp, but he knew he couldn't risk it. The person before him was smaller than Yuugi had anticipated. It was a woman, and she, like the others, was dressed in light fabric brown clothes that hung just enough off them to let the air flow through it but still cover enough skin to prevent burns. They each had hoods over their heads and scarves pulled up to cover their mouths. The only part of them visible was their eyes. In their hands they held long, sharp, double-edged spears.  
  
The woman who had taken the Puzzle was holding it up to examine it closely, while keeping her other hand with the spear pointed at Yuugi. “Is this real gold?” she asked him, catching Yuugi off guard.  
  
He considered lying but before he could say anything, another member of her group came over and plucked the Puzzle out of her hands. “Of course it is. Stolen from one of the ruins, no doubt.” The new man cast a sideways glance at Yuugi. “Strange of you, if you found an old ruin and this was all you took. Surely you could have found more worth salvaging? But then it was perhaps wise of you to only take one item. Qaotram would surely have known if you'd taken more. You're a lucky thief to have even made it this far with stolen Caledda goods.”  
  
Yuugi stayed silent, not wanting to admit to anything or say the wrong thing. He knew these people wouldn't believe anything he said, so better not to say anything at all. It seemed the others had come to the same conclusion as Yuugi couldn't hear any of them speaking.  
  
Another hooded man called from somewhere to Yuugi's left. “Shall we take them back, then, or kill them here?” There was a whimper that might've come from Jounouchi or Honda. Yuugi couldn't be sure.  
  
“We'll take them back,” said the man holding the Puzzle. He turned towards the other voice and walked towards it, out of Yuugi's line of sight. “His Majesty will want to speak to them, learn where they got this from. We wouldn't have missed something like this, so it must be a place we haven't searched yet.”  
  
“That makes our lives a lot easier,” came a woman's voice.  
  
“How did these people survive out here?” came another male voice. “They have no supplies, look! No weapons, no food, just the clothes on their backs! How is that possible? This far out, they should be long dead.”  
  
A pause.  
  
“That is unusual, you're correct. But it's just as well. Traveling back with them will be easier if we don't have anything to carry.”   
  
“What about these two?! They look just like-”  
  
“I can see that. I'm sure it's merely coincidence.”  
  
“They're identical!”  
  
“Not entirely. This one is smaller. They're both too pale.”  
  
“I guess you're right. Still, it's uncanny.”  
  
“It's not important now. Let's stop dawdling and head back!”  
  
There was a murmur of consensus. The woman grabbed Yuugi by the arm and he went with her willingly. He could hear the others also being pushed or pulled forward. They were set up in a line, all six of them. Anzu stood in front of him, with Jounouchi ahead. Bakura was right behind him. Honda and Kaiba brought up the rear. Now Yuugi could see that the strange group consisted of at least twelve people, maybe more. A good thing, then, that they hadn't put up any real resistance. They were hopelessly outnumbered.   
  
As they started moving out, Yuugi noted with some surprise that this group had traveled on foot like them. He'd thought that they'd at least have brought horses or some other mount, especially since they made it sound as if they were deep in the desert.   
  
They were lead in a different direction from where they had been walking the day before. Ahead of them, Yuugi could see their footprints going all the way into the distance until they disappeared over the horizon. He noted as well that they had limited supplies as well, with only two people carrying large jugs of what he assumed was water. Hopefully that meant that wherever they were being led, it wasn't far.  
  
No one spoke as they went, each deep within their own thoughts. Anzu was clearly nervous, while Jounouchi just seemed irritated. He kept shooting dark looks at their captors, who dutifully paid him no mind. Yuugi couldn't see Honda or Bakura but he was sure they were behaving much the same.   
  
Rage was rolling off Kaiba in waves. It was stifling.   
  
For himself, Yuugi wasn't sure what to make of this turn of events. He certainly hadn't expected to find anyone out here. That was why they hadn't bothered with setting up a watch. More the fool them, apparently. These people had managed to sneak up on them completely unnoticed. Despite their initial search of them, however, they didn't seem overly hostile. They didn't even touch them, just stood on either side of them to keep the line going. It was strangely comforting, their lack of violence. It left him feeling like maybe, once they were brought before their leader, whoever it was, they could be reasoned with.   
  
At least he hoped so. Otherwise this little adventure of theirs, whatever it really was, was about to be cut very short.   
  
\---  
  
Their captors proved intent on keeping them alive. They shared their water with them, which was gratefully received, even by Kaiba, who Yuugi thought might've refused out of sheer spite. They also provided small scraps of food in the form of a strange but delicious fruit Yuugi didn't recognize and bits of dried meat. They were sparse with it, having to keep enough to pass around their own group, but it was enough to keep Yuugi and the others going.   
  
The silence between them made the pass incredibly slow. Yuugi found himself glancing up frequently to see how far the sun had moved in the sky and was annoyed each time to find that it wasn't far. His hope that they'd get wherever they were going in a few short hours was quickly dashed.  
  
Yet hours later, as the sun started to set again, Yuugi could see something appear in front of them. At first they were just dark shapes on the sandy hills, but as they drew closer, Yuugi could see that there were tents. There was a number of people there, all dressed the same as their captors, though these ones had their hoods down, their faces exposed. They seemed to have set up some kind of perimeter, with individuals standing outside the camp in a circle, evenly spaced out to give them a complete view of their surroundings.   
  
As they approached, the man closest to them began to walk their way. His voice rang out clearly over the closing expanse between them.  
  
“What they hell is this?”  
  
His voice sent a ripple effect over the group. As one, they all looked up in shock. Even as the light faded around them, his figure was perfectly clear. It was impossible for them to miss, he stood too tall, too obvious, too familiar.  
  
It was Seto Kaiba.  
  
Except it wasn't, Yuugi realized with a jolt. It wasn't Kaiba. This man before them had rich brown skin. Physically, that seemed to be the only difference, but it was an important one. He had the same blue eyes, the same dark hair, the same face, same body.   
  
But the skin. The skin made all the difference. This man before them wasn't Seto Kaiba. It was Set.   
  
This Set wasn't the one Yuugi has seen in the Memory World or etched on the great stone tablet. He wore no robes of rich blue, no hat. There was no Millennium Rod in his hand. This Set stood as the others around Yuugi did. The same clothes, the same hood and scarf, though Yuugi noted that his were a rich purple. That meant something, he was sure of it.  
  
Anzu turned back to glance at Yuugi her shoulder, her eyes wide. If she was looking to him for answers, Yuugi didn't have them. He was just as confused as she was.  
  
There was a strangled sound behind them that Yuugi was sure came from Kaiba. He really didn't want to look and see his reaction.  
  
The man who was Set but not Set stopped in front of them, looking them over with agitation written all over his face. “You were sent to find ruins, not people. Where did you find them?”  
  
The man with the Puzzle stepped forward to answer. “They were out in the desert, simply wandering around.”  
  
Set scoffed at that. “No one wanders the Crilaa Desert. You know this. They would've been killed long before making it out this far.”  
  
“They had this.” The man handed over the Millennium Puzzle. Set frowned as he took it, turning it over in his hands. Whatever he saw in the Puzzle didn't please him. He was visibly getting angry when he raised his gaze back to the man in front of him.  
  
“You think they found this in a ruin?”  
  
“Where else would they have gotten it?”  
  
“It can't be.” Set thrust the Puzzle back at the man. “It's nothing at all like anything we've ever found before. The design is all wrong, the craftsmanship. It doesn't fit. It came from somewhere else.”  
  
“Then I don't know what to tell you, Set,” the man said, reaching up to pull his hood down, then his scarf. “I have no explanation for how they got out there.”  
  
Yuugi felt as if he'd had the wind knocked out of him. The same ripple that had washed over the group upon seeing Set was coming over them again. He could hear it, see it. They all knew who this person was.  
  
Mahaad.  
  
Set moved past the other former priest, coming to stand in front of Jounouchi. He looked him up and down, scowling. Jounouchi stood silent but Yuugi could see the tension in his shoulders. “These clothes they wear, they're not local. I've never seen the like. What else did they have?”  
  
Mahaad folded his arms over his chest. “Nothing.”  
  
“Nothing?!”  
  
“Nothing. No food, no shelter, no water. We had to share ours to get them here.”  
  
Set moved past Jounouchi to stand in front of Anzu. He looked her up and down as he had Jounouchi. She held her head high, staring him down. That brought a chuckle out of him, then he moved on. When he came to stand before Yuugi, a look of surprise crossed his face. He stood there in silence staring at him for a long moment. Yuugi kept his gaze, ignoring how uncomfortable the scrutiny made him feel. He needed to stay strong in front of this man.  
  
After what felt like several long minutes, Set finally looked away from Yuugi and continued down the line. “Any why did you feel the need to bring them back here? Why not let the desert claim them?”  
  
“I thought His Majesty would like to speak to them. This is, as you've pointed out, not a common occurrence.”  
  
“That's certainly one way of putting it. Still, sharing our supplies seems a bit much. I'm not sure I'd agr-”  
  
The sudden silence that feel over them made Yuugi's insides squirm. He was sure that Set had finally come across Kaiba.  
  
Set let out a breathy, almost nervous sounding laugh. “What the hell is this?”  
  
Mahaad's mouth twitched. “As I said. I thought His Majesty would like to speak to them.”  
  
The tension that had settled over the group was starting to make Yuugi feel sick. He was suddenly very glad that the sun had finally set behind them. No one could see how pale he'd gone.   
  
After another long pause, Set turned and started striding quickly back towards the camp. As he passed Mahaad, he hissed, “Bring them.”  
  
Just like that, they were moving again. Ahead, Yuugi could see that fires had been lit in the camp. There were fewer people around, presumably most having headed back to their tents. As they crossed the first line of tents to enter the camp, Yuugi saw there was a large cluster of people gathered together towards the middle of the camp. There were tables set up, with what looked like scrolls and maps spread across them. The people gathered there were all talking animatedly amongst themselves, moving from one scroll to the next, making notes, crossing lines. Set and Mahaad were leading them there.  
  
From behind him, Honda let out a startled gasp.  
  
At first Yuugi couldn't tell what had gotten his friend's attention. Then the sea of people seemed to part before him, and Yuugi saw.  
  
In an instant, the world changed. The ground beneath Yuugi's feet no longer seemed solid, that he could sink into it at any moment. His heart was hammering loudly in his ears, while time seemed to slow around him, the chatter diminishing to a faint whisper. Nothing else existed, nothing else matter, but the figure standing in the middle of the crowd, facing away from him, leaning over to examine a large map.  
  
 _Please don't do this to me_ , Yuugi silently pleaded with whatever power was listening, whatever force had brought him here. _Please, please, please.  
  
_ Set's voice cut through the haze in Yuugi's mind. “Your Majesty,” he called, his voice effectively silencing the milling crowd, who all turned to look at him. “It seems Mahaad has returned with the most unlikely of findings. I believe you'll want to see for yourself.”  
  
Around him, Yuugi could hear his friends as each of them in turn saw who Set had called to. Yuugi couldn't make any sound. He could hardly breathe.  
  
The figure looked up at the sound of Set's voice. He turned towards them and it took all Yuugi had not to scream because there he was.  
  
There he was. So real, so solid, and so, _so_ alive.  
  
“What are you yelling about now?”  
  
And there it was, his voice so familiar, the same deep, rich, and powerful voice that was as familiar to Yuugi as his own.  
  
He was walking towards Set, an amused smile playing at his lips and Yuugi was struck by the fact that he looked a bit taller than he remembered. A bit older. “What could he have possibly brought that you couldn't handle yourself, cousin?”  
  
“Take a look,” Set said, gesturing towards them.  
  
The king turned in the direction Set indicated, his gaze coming to rest on Yuugi and the others.  
  
Yuugi wasn't sure what he expected in that moment, but the king's expression slowly falling into a look of absolute shock was not it. He'd prepared, without even realizing he was preparing, for the fact that this was different. This wasn't Him, this wasn't Yuugi's Other Self. This was someone different, someone new, who just happened to wear the same face. Set and Mahaad hadn't recognized them, so they had to be different. All of them.   
  
“Yuugi?”  
  
But he was there in those red eyes. Atem was there. More than that, he knew them.   
  
He remembered.  
  


 


	3. Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all the people who've left kudos and taken the time to read this fic so far. I really appreciate it and hope you guys continue to enjoy it. :) If you can spare a few minutes to leave a comment as well, I'd love to hear any thoughts and feedback you guys have to offer!

The falter in Atem's steps, the look on his face, the waver in his voice did not go unnoticed.  
  


“You know these people, My King?” Set was wide-eyed, looking between Atem and the group of wanderers brought before him. His voice sounded far away to Yuugi, who hadn't kept his gaze locked with Atem's. His heart was pounding in his ears, louder than Set's words.  
  
There was a pause, during which some of the people gathered around them turned to whisper amongst themselves, peering curiously at their king and the group before him.   
  
Atem didn't respond immediately. He remained rooted to the spot, openly gaping as if he'd seen a ghost. The irony of that wasn't lost on Yuugi.  
  
“My King?” This time it was Mahaad, taking a step towards Atem, concern in his eyes.  
  
His voice seemed to register in Atem's mind and he let the air out of his lungs that he hadn't realized he was holding in. “Yes,” he said, finally, his voice hoarse, “yes, I know them.”  
  
Several of the people standing around watching everything unfold let out surprised gasps, their murmurings getting steadily louder. This turn of events was clearly just as unlikely to them as it was to Yuugi, to Atem. Set was momentarily lost for words, turning again to stare at Yuugi and his friends. Yuugi couldn't begin to imagine what thoughts were running through the man's mind in that moment.  
  
“How? How do you know them?” Set asked, disbelief evident in his voice.  
  
“I met them many years ago,” Atem said, regaining control of himself. His back straightened, he clasped his hands behind his back, peering down at Yuugi, seeming impassive. He was positively regal. Yuugi was somewhat taken aback by the speed with which Atem was able to slip back into his role as king in front of his subjects, as if his momentary emotional break hadn't happened at all. “During my travels to the South when I was still Prince. They were incredibly gracious hosts. I had not expected to see them again, so you can understand my surprise.”  
  
The story seemed a bit too vague to Yuugi, and he could tell that Set felt the same way, but he was in no position to question his king openly in front of all these people. Much as it seemed to pain him to keep his tongue in check, Set simply nodded in understanding and acceptance of Atem's words.  
  
“That's enough for tonight,” Atem said, the volume of his voice raised to carry over everyone present. “I would speak to our guests alone. All the rest of you may leave.”  
  
His words had an instantaneous effect. The gathered group quickly started to clear the scrolls and maps away, hurrying to get back to their tents. Atem turned to grab one man by the arm as he passed, leaning close to his ear and muttering something to him. The man nodded in understanding before Atem let him go. Mahaad didn't look pleased with the instructions, but nonetheless he motioned for the rest of his crew to follow him away. They all began pulling their hoods down as they left, talking amongst themselves.  
  
“Sorry about all this.” Yuugi was caught off-guard at hearing a voice so close to him. Turning towards it, he was met with the sight of the woman who had taken the Puzzle from him taking off her hood. Mana offered him an apologetic smile but said nothing more as she followed Mahaad and the others away.  
  
Only Set remained where he stood, still clutching the Millennium Puzzle. “Your Majesty, I must object,” he said, his voice even and low. “I cannot simply leave you alone with these strangers. I insist that I remain with you.”  
  
Atem shook his head. “No need, Set. They are clearly unarmed, and even if they were, I am quite certain I could hold my own against them. Not that that would be necessary. These people are not our enemies.”  
  
“You can't be sure,” Set persisted, taking a step towards his king. “It has been many years since you journeyed south and met these people. Much has changed since then.”  
  
His remarks were met with an amused smile. “I don't believe you have anything to worry about, Set, but I tell you now that if you are right, and these people do manage to kill me, than at least I will go to the next life satisfied with the knowledge that you will avenge me. Now go. I will speak with them alone.”  
  
Even then, Set hesitated a moment, looking back at the strange group. His instincts were clearly telling him not to listen, to stay firmly at his king's side, and Yuugi couldn't blame him. From Set's perspective, this had to be suspicious. Still, he couldn't directly disobey an order from his king, so he reluctantly began to walk away. As Set passed Atem, the king held up a hand to stop him. “I'll take that,” he said, pointing at the Millennium Puzzle. Set glowered but handed the object over without a word before carrying on his way. Atem watched him leave. After he disappeared into the camp, they were alone.  
  
Silence stretched between them all as Atem turned back to face his friends. The mask of the king slipped, surprise and confusion again evident in his expression. Yuugi was sure the look was mirrored on his own face.  
  
Atem was the one who finally broke the silence. “How... how did you get here?”  
  
And just like that, the dam was broken.  
  
“How did we get here?!” Jounouchi all but yelled, striding towards the king, his shoulders shaking. “How did _you_ get here?!”  
  
“I live here,” Atem said.  
  
“Wow, what? Does that mean...” Now it was Honda, looking at each of them in turn, eyes wide. “Is this the Afterlife? Are we dead?!”  
  
Atem shook his head, taking a step forward and holding his hands up to placate Honda. “No, you are not dead and this is not the Afterlife. As I said, I live here. Meaning I am alive.”  
  
“But we saw you!” Anzu had tears in her eyes and her voice shook with emotion. “We saw you go through the doors to the Afterlife!”  
  
A sigh escaped the king's lips. “I know.”  
  
“So explain.” Yuugi was surprised at the steadiness of his own voice. It betrayed none of the turmoil building up, screaming inside him.   
  
Hearing Yuugi's voice had a noticeable effect on Atem. He turned his full attention on the young man who had once been his host. There was a deep sadness in his dark eyes, one that Yuugi had seen only a few times during their time together, a look that usually meant Atem wanted Yuugi's forgiveness. That he felt responsible for something.  
  
“I did go to the Afterlife,” Atem spoke directly to Yuugi. “I did. And I was there for a time, and then it just... ended.”  
  
Jounouchi folded his arms over his chest, obviously not pleased with that response. “What the hell does that mean, 'it just ended'?”   
  
Atem shrugged. “It just ended. One moment I was there with the rest of my friends and family from Egypt, and then I wasn't. I was being born again, as it turned out, in another world. Another Earth.”  
  
Yuugi frowned at that. “Another Earth? You mean like a parallel world or something?”  
  
“I suppose so.”  
  
“Who cares?” Kaiba, it seemed, had had enough of all this. He walked towards Atem, standing tall and determined, a bright gleam in his eyes that Yuugi had seen several times before whenever Kaiba got excited to face off against Atem. “Wherever this is doesn't matter as long as you're here. Now we can finally finish this.”  
  
The approach of his rival didn't phase Atem. He simply turned to look him in the eye, one eyebrow raised. “Why am I not surprised you have something to do with this.”  
  
Kaiba rolled his eyes, annoyed. “I wouldn't have to be involved in any of this if you hadn't gone off and left before we could settle the score.”  
  
“As far as I'm concerned, Kaiba, the score has been settled,” Atem replied, folding his arms over his chest and lifting his chin defiantly. “If you think it isn't then that's only because you ran off to America.”  
  
“How was I supposed to know you were planning on leaving the world of the living? You didn't exactly give me any warning!”  
  
Atem rolled his eyes. “I'm so sorry, Kaiba. The next time I have to plan my own funeral, I'll be sure to send you a personalized invitation.”  
  
The fire in Kaiba's eyes could easily have burned the flesh off Atem's bones if he could only make it real. “All that's in the past now,” he ground out, coming to stand in front of Atem, glaring down at him. “We're both here now. Let's settle this matter once and for all.”  
  
“Is now seriously the time for this, Kaiba?” Jounouchi yelled, making to step between the two. He stopped short, however, when he saw Atem's wide smile.  
  
“Can't do that, I'm afraid,” Atem said, suddenly cheerful. “Duel Monsters doesn't exist in this world and I don't have my old deck. So unless you're planning on changing the game, you're simply going to have to live with the results you already have.”  
  
Those words were like a physical blow to Kaiba, who stumbled back, face red, eyes wide. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. He simply stood there, gaping.   
  
Satisfied that Kaiba would be quiet for awhile, Atem turned back to Yuugi and the others. “But I don't understand. How exactly did you all end up here?”  
  
“We're not entirely sure,” Yuugi confessed, glancing at the Puzzle in Atem's hands. “Kaiba reassembled the Puzzle to try and bring you back. It didn't work, obviously, but he didn't believe it so he wanted me to put it on to prove you weren't there. When I touched it, some kind of magic activated and dragged us all here. That's all we know.”  
  
“Some kind of magic...” Atem repeated, holding the Puzzle up to examine it. “I'm not sensing any lingering magical effects. It might have been a one-time event that could only be triggered by your touch. That's the only thing I can think of, but I'm afraid I can't say how or why that would happen.”  
  
Yuugi nodded. He'd hoped Atem might have some insight to what happened, but it made sense he wouldn't know. He had been just as surprised to see them as they were to see him, so it was unlikely he was directly involved.  
  
Atem sighed again, casting an apologetic look in Yuugi's direction. “I'm sorry I don't know more. However, I'm certain we'll be able to figure it out and send you home in due time. I'll do everything in my power to help you.” He paused for a moment, then added, quietly, “I'm sorry, Partner. This should never have happened to you.”  
  
Something in Yuugi broke. He had never been able to say to anyone just how much he missed hearing Atem's voice, hearing him call him 'Partner' so affectionately. It seemed strange, to focus in on something like that, but it was that more than anything that Yuugi had wanted again. He could accept not seeing Atem, could accept his absence, but the idea that he might never hear his other self call him Partner again was at times too much to bear. He had wanted to believe that they would be reunited one day, at the end of Yuugi's life, but there had been a lingering fear in him that somehow they'd be kept apart even then. And even if they did find each other in the Afterlife, it would likely be many, many years down the line. It made the painful truth that Yuugi would spend the majority of his life without Atem that much harder to deal with.   
  
But now Atem stood before him, a whole, living person, and spoke the word Yuugi longed to hear him say, the syllables rolling off his tongue with such ease, as if no time had passed between them. As if nothing had changed.  
  
Yuugi didn't even realize he'd started to move until he stood directly in front of Atem. The momentum carried him forward to close the gap between them, throwing his arms around Atem's neck and clutching onto him. Yuugi buried his face in Atem's shoulder, tears finally welling up and spilling out. “I missed you,” he choked out, his voice breaking. “I missed you so much.”  
  
Warm arms wrapped around Yuugi, pulling him closer. “I know,” Atem whispered in Yuugi's ear. “I know. I missed you too, so much.”  
  
“I just wanted to see you,” Yuugi continued, his grip tightening. “I just wanted to hear your voice again.”  
  
“I know,” Atem repeated, bringing one hand up to rest on the back of Yuugi's head. “I know, Partner. I feel the same.”  
  
They feel into silence, just holding each other. Yuugi cried out all the tears he'd kept back for the past six months, and even Atem's eyes were wet when they finally pulled apart. Their hands were still clasped between them and Yuugi felt a smile tug at his lips, which Atem returned. It was all so natural, how easy they fell back into sync with each other.   
  
“You don't look very different,” Atem commented, looking Yuugi over before casting a glance around at the others. “None of you do. How long has it been for you since Egypt?”  
  
“Six months,” Anzu said, her voice strained. She'd clearly been crying too, overwhelmed by the sight of her friends' reunion.   
  
Atem's expression darkened suddenly, his hold on Yuugi's hands tightening. “Six months?” he repeated, disbelieving. “That's it?”  
  
“What do you mean?” Honda asked, looking baffled. “It's only been six months for you, too, right?”  
  
“No,” Atem said, slowly. “No, it's been nineteen years.”  
  
Those words were like a bucket of ice water being dumped over Yuugi's head. He stared at Atem in shock, eyes wide. “Nineteen years? Are you serious?”  
  
Atem nodded, sombre. “As I said before, when my time in the Afterlife suddenly ended, I was being born here. Born, as in as a baby. My life started over completely. My memories of my past life, including my time with you, came back to me slowly during my adolescence. I couldn't tell you what caused it to happen. Set and the others that are here, they don't remember anything. I'm not sure what to make of that, if I'm honest. That we all ended up reborn in the same time and place seems like a miracle, but it's strange that I'm the only one who recalls our past.”  
  
“That's gotta be a good thing, though, right?” said Jounouchi. “I mean, given your history with memory loss and all that. It's good you got to remember everything this time!”  
  
Jounouchi's words got him a small smile of appreciation. “Yes, I suppose that's true.”  
  
“So time doesn't flow consistently between worlds,” Honda muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “That's pretty wild. Scientists back home would have a field day with this.”  
  
“Are your friends the only ones here besides you?”  
  
Everyone turned to face Bakura, who had remained completely still and silent until this moment. His shoulders were slumped and his gaze downcast. While he kept his expression neutral, there was a nervousness in his eyes he couldn't hide.  
  
No one needed further clarification on what Bakura had meant with his question.  
  
Atem broke away from Yuugi, coming to stand in front of Bakura. He reached out tentatively to place a hand on his shoulder, causing the other boy to look up at him. When he spoke, he spoke with a quiet gentleness. “I have never seen him here or heard of anyone that matches his likeness. In all likelihood, even if he has been reborn here as well, the circumstances of his life would be different enough that he is not the same person and poses no threat. I can't promise you that he isn't here, but I can promise you that if he should appear and proves to have some ill intentions as before that I will protect you.”  
  
Bakura visibly relaxed at those words. He offered Atem a small smile, which the king returned.   
  
The moment was broken by the sound of Jounouchi's stomach rumbling loudly. “Oh, uhhh... say, Atem, you don't happen to have any food you can spare us, do you?”  
  
With a snort of laughter, Atem started walking into the camp where the rest of his people had gone. “I have indeed! I thought you might be hungry, so I've had someone prepare a meal for you all, as well as set up a tent for you. It'll be a tight fit, I'm afraid, but it's all we have to spare at the moment. Come.”  
  
They followed him quietly, noting the silence that hung over the camp apart from themselves. While there were still sentries set up around the perimeter, everyone inside the camp had retired to their tents as Atem had instructed. Jounouchi and Honda were muttering amongst themselves while Anzu stayed close to Bakura, who had fallen silent again. Kaiba brought up the rear, still visibly sulking. Yuugi walked alongside Atem and spoke to him in a low voice.  
  
“How is it that you're out here?” he asked, curiously. “I mean, if you're king. This seems kinda... not safe for you. Shouldn't you be back in a palace or something?”  
  
“Normally, yes,” Atem replied. “But for excursions such as this, I'm required to be here. Generally speaking the desert isn't very dangerous. You might've noticed but almost nothing lives out here. The worst you might come across are insect swarms but little else. You won't find bandits as no humans are allowed to wander the Crilaa without permission.”  
  
“Permission?”  
  
“It's a long story,” Atem said with a sigh. “I'll tell you in the morning. For now, you all should eat and get some rest.”  
  
They had arrived at the tent that had been set up for them. A small table had been place in front of it with six plates set up. Each one had slices of fruit, dried meat, rice, and what looked like mashed potatoes. In the center of the table was a pitcher of water with small wooden cups next to it. It was by no means an extravagant meal, and there wasn't much, but it was enough. Jounouchi and Honda immediately dug in, while Anzu and Bakura took their time. Kaiba bypassed the food altogether, heading straight for the tent without another word.  
  
Yuugi hung back to speak to Atem.   
  
“So... how are you?”  
  
Atem seemed taken aback by the sudden question but quickly got over it with a shrug. “I'm alright. As well as I can be. This place is... different from Japan, different from Egypt. But I like it here. It's become home to me.” He paused then added, “And you? Are you well?”  
  
Yuugi shrugged as well. “Same, pretty much. As well as I can be.”  
  
They lapsed into an awkward silence, watching the others eat and check out the tent. Atem hadn't been lying, it was definitely going to be a tight fit. Still, they'd manage. Yuugi already was thinking he'd probably just stay outside the tent. He wasn't sure he'd even be able to sleep that night, in light of everything.  
  
“Is this desert part of your kingdom?”  
  
That made Atem laugh. “No, I'm afraid not. We're well outside Ayesth's borders. It will take at least a week to get back from here, and then another two days to reach the capital.”  
  
“Why are you so far away?”  
  
“For the advancement of science or some such,” Atem said, glancing out over their camp and into the vast expanse of the Crilaa desert. “We're looking to excavate old ruins and take back whatever we can find that's potentially useful.”  
  
Yuugi recalled that Mahaad and Set had mentioned something along those lines earlier. They had even thought that was where the Millennium Puzzle had come from.   
  
The Puzzle was still in Atem's hands. He'd kept it close to him the whole time, absentmindedly running his fingers along the familiar patterns. He didn't even seem to realize he was doing it, but to Yuugi it seemed like he was greeting another lost friend.   
  
“It must have been weird, going all those years without the Puzzle.”   
  
Atem's movements halted. He looked down at the object in his hands, surprised, as if he'd forgotten he was even holding it. “It... was at first, I suppose.” Seconds passed while he continued to stare at the Puzzle before he sighed deeply and held it out for Yuugi to take. “But it has been a long time. As much as I feel deep sentiment for it, it hasn't been a part of me for many years now. You should keep it.”

  
Yuugi blinked at him in surprise. “Are... are you sure? I mean, it is rightfully yours.”  
  
The king shook his head. “It was once, but that was a lifetime ago. You're the one who was able to put it back together, so it rightfully belongs to you.”  
  
They stayed like that for what seemed like several minutes until Yuugi relented and took the Puzzle. He lifted the chain up and slipped it around his neck. The feel of it sent a shiver down his spine. He has missed this, too. Even if Atem's soul was no longer in the Puzzle, it was still so important to Yuugi and part of Yuugi had been bitter that he wasn't able to keep it after the Ceremonial Duel. He'd understood why it needed to be buried, but it was the last physical connection he had to Atem. Without it he'd had nothing, no memento to carry his memories in. Eight years he'd spent working on that Puzzle only to lose it in a few quick seconds. It had become such a part of him and he'd never figured out quite what to do after he lost it.  
  
“Thank you, Other Me. I'll keep it safe.”  
  
A fond smile graced Atem's lips. He had told Yuugi the last time they were together that he wasn't the Other Yuugi, that he was his own person, and Yuugi was the only Yuugi Mutou in the world. Even so, it was obvious he'd missed hearing it just as much as Yuugi has missed hearing 'partner'. Atem hadn't been called that for nineteen years, after all.  
  
That fact still nagged at Yuugi. He himself wasn't even nineteen years old. The idea that Atem had lived that much of his new life in the six months it had been for Yuugi was insane. He knew it was true just by looking at him, he was so clearly older than he had been when he walked through those doors, but it was still hard to believe. Or maybe Yuugi just didn't want to believe it. Six months had been already felt like a lifetime. Nineteen years was just too much.  
  
“The others have all settled down for sleep, Partner,” Atem said, looking back to where their friends were. “You still need to eat. Come on.”  
  
He took Yuugi by the shoulders and gently guided him over to the table. There was still two plates left, Yuugi's and Kaiba's. Yuugi took one and started eating. The fruit was very tangy but still good. The dried meat proved to be difficult to bite into and bland so he only ate a little bit of that. The rice and potatoes had some seasoning added to it, but even they were fairly bland. Not that Yuugi could complain, he knew that they couldn't bring a gourmet kitchen along with them out into the desert. It was enough to fill his stomach and so he was grateful.  
  
Atem stood by while he ate. Yuugi could see the king tugging at the wraps on his hands, scratching at them irritably. He hadn't really noticed before, but those wraps were only on Atem. None of the others had them. Blue wraps of thick cloth on both hands covering his palms.   
  
Just as Yuugi started to open his mouth to comment on that observation, Atem interrupted him. “Tomorrow you'll start to head back to the city. We can't do anything to help you find a way back to Japan out here. I can spare a portion of my men to accompany you and the others to the capital. Once there, the mages will be your best bet. Mana will go with you, she will see to it that they help.”  
  
Yuugi blinked at him, frowning. “Wait, I'll be heading back? What about you?”  
  
“I have to continue into the desert,” Atem replied. “We haven't found anything to take back yet and we can't return empty handed. It is too much hassle to come out here, and we do so rarely. As such, we won't go home until we have something worth taking home.”  
  
Yuugi's frown deepened. “How long would you be out there?”  
  
“I can't say for certain. Could be several more days, if not more. We've cleared most of the ruins nearby, so we'll have to go further out to find more.”  
  
“Meaning it'll take you even longer to get back.” It wasn't a question, it was a fact. They would be going in opposite directions and it would definitely be a good long while before Atem rejoined them at the capital. That was assuming nothing happened to him and he came back at all. It was also assuming the mages weren't able to figure out a way to send them home shortly after they got there. As much as Yuugi was willing to stick around to wait for Atem to get back before leaving, he wasn't sure the others would be up for it. Atem was their friend, and they'd all missed him, but this was still an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. Odds were it was going to be uncomfortable, and Yuugi couldn't help but think that they also wouldn't be trusted. At least not at first. Despite Atem's cover story, they were still strangers to these people who'd been given favor by their king for reasons they didn't quite understand. That wasn't the sort of thing that went unnoticed. It might have been easier to keep a low profile had it only been one of them, but six? People were certainly going to know about them and have questions.   
  
But all that aside, what bothered Yuugi the most was the idea of leaving Atem. They'd only just been reunited. Yuugi wasn't ready to say goodbye, even if it was only temporary. He wasn't ready to watch Atem walk away from him again. Even if that was inevitably how this story was going to end, and it would, he still needed more time.

  
Finishing his food, Yuugi set his empty plate on top of the small pile the others had already stacked up. He glanced at the last plate set up for Kaiba and considered going to give it to the sulking man but decided against it. Kaiba was a big boy, if he wanted to skip a meal because he was angry or upset, that was his problem. As long as he was over it by morning and started to eat then, everything would be fine. There was no need to worry. And anyway, if there was one thing Yuugi had learned about dealing with Seto Kaiba over the past few years it was that showing him that you were concerned for his well being was more likely to convince Kaiba not to do what you wanted him to purely out of spite. Only Mokuba had ever had much luck getting Kaiba to listen to him.  
  
Yuugi turned his attention back to Atem. “If you're going on out there, then I'm coming with you.”  
  
The king sighed, shaking his head. “That's not a good idea. Like I said, we may be out here for quite awhile yet. You have more important things to be worried about now.”  
  
“Look, no offense to your people or anything, I'm sure they're great, but I don't trust them the way I trust you. I'd feel much safer in this world know you're around. And anyway,” here he paused, reaching out to lightly touch Atem's arm, “I only just found you again. I'm not about to let you run off without me.”  
  
“Yuugi...” the king let out another deep sigh. “It isn't safe.”  
  
Yuugi arched an eyebrow at him. “And that's supposed to encourage me to let you go without me? If I'm safer with you, you're _much_ safer with me.”  
  
That earned him an annoyed scoff. “If you stay with me, the others will want to stay, too.”  
  
“I don't see the problem with that. We'll all go together. Unless, you know, it'd be a massive inconvenience for you. But we'd do our best to help and not be a burden.”  
  
“It wouldn't be a burden,” Atem reassured him. “Only I'd be worried about you.”  
  
“And I'd be worried about you if we were separated again,” Yuugi countered, lightly shoving his friend with his shoulders. “So you see, we're better off sticking together. At least then we can keep an eye on each other.”  
  


Atem groaned, reaching up to rub his temple. “I can see there's no convincing you. Fine, Partner, if you and the others wish to come with us then you may. I won't stop you. I'm not your king, I can't order you to do anything, either. Just... please be careful.”  
  
Leaning against Atem, Yuugi flashed him a bright grin. “You be careful, too.”  
  
They stayed like that for some time. The blue moon was high in the sky when Atem finally had to retreat to his own tent, saying that his cousin would be impossible to deal with the next day if he found out Atem had slept out in the open. “He's already going to be pissed I talked with you alone and for so long,” Atem said as he left, “no need to get him more riled up.”  
  
After exchanging goodbyes, they parted ways for night. Yuugi stayed outside the tent, listening to the sounds of Jounouchi and Honda snoring away. He felt incredibly light, as if he were floating. Everything that had happened in the past several hours felt like some kind of dream. But it was real. Atem was alive and here with them. They'd get to be together again for at least a few more days, at a minimum until they made it back to the capital and could start researching ways to get back to Japan. They had time now, time they hadn't quite had before when Atem was still a spirit trapped in the Puzzle. For the first time, both of them would be present at all times and could interact with their friends and the world around them. It was what Yuugi had always wished could happen, somehow, no matter how impossible he'd known it was.   
  
And even if it was only for a short time, it was still more time than Yuugi had ever dared think they would get. This was time to be cherished. He wasn't about to let it slip away from him. Not a single second.

 


	4. Quest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the farthest i've ever gotten on a multi-chapter fic so congrats @ me!! hope you guys like it. i swear to god we're going to get out of this desert soon and move towards the plot lmfao

The sounds of the camp coming to life startled Yuugi awake just as the sun was starting to cast its first rays over the sandy hills. Around him, he could hear his friends starting to wake up as well, their groggy voices and complaints about sleeping on the ground reaching him through his own lifting haze of sleep.  
  
It took Yuugi a few minutes to gather himself up fully and take stock of their surroundings. The camp was being cleared with a speed that caught him completely off-guard. Already half the tents were down and folded, tables with removable legs bound together and stacked. In the light, Yuugi could also see that Atem's company was not nearly as large as he'd originally assumed, maxing out at maybe 35 to 40 people. All their supplies were being gathered together in the middle of the descending camp, where Yuugi caught sight of Atem giving orders.  
  
The tent that had been erected for them was being taken down at that moment, much to Jounouchi and Honda's great annoyance. They were grumbling as they were forced out and made to watch as everything was stripped down and removed. Bakura was half-dozing against Jounouchi, while Kaiba stood off to the side, looking silently out over the desert. Anzu was already full awake and stood near Yuugi, quietly watching the proceedings around them. No one was paying them any attention.  
  
Yuugi struggled to his feet and came to stand beside Anzu. “Do you think Atem told them to leave us be?”  
  
“Might be,” Anzu said with a shrug. “Or they might just want to ignore us all on their own. This is probably really weird for them, to have us here.” She stopped to watch a girl not much bigger than Yuugi drag a huge bag that looked incredibly heavy across the sand with an ease that suggested she'd done this many times before. Like the others, she paid Yuugi and Anzu no mind. Yuugi found himself shifting from foot to foot, feeling tense and awkward. They were so painfully out of place here.  
  
When Anzu turned to look down at Yuugi, he could see the concern painted in her clear blue eyes. “Are you alright, Yuugi? I mean, with all of this. With Atem being here.”  
  
It took Yuugi a long time to answer. He simply watched Atem, moving amongst his people with such grace and ease, every bit the regal king Yuugi knew he had always been but had rarely gotten to really see. Even with this desolate backdrop, it was awe-inspiring to see Atem so completely in his element. He'd never expected to see him like this again.  
  
“I'm alright,” he said, finally. “It's... it's strange. There's a lot I still don't quite understand about this but I'm... I'm happy to see him. To see him alive, you know? For all the time we spent together before, it wasn't like this. He was so limited in what he could do when he was in the Puzzle. This is different.” He paused, caught up in watching Atem turn to talk to Mahaad, who had appeared at his side with some scrolls. “...It's good. I'm good. Even if this is only short-lived, I'm glad to have been able to see him this way.”  
  
Anzu stayed quiet as she listen to Yuugi speak, following his gaze to watch their old friend as well. He was right, this was different. To see Atem as a separate person, moving, speaking independently of Yuugi had been all she had ever wanted to see, once. But the chance for that had passed, and Anzu had done her best to put all thoughts of what could have been, what Atem might have been like, out of her head. It didn't do her or the others any good to dwell on it. Still, the thought had crossed her mind from time to time. She could only imagine that Yuugi thought about it a lot more than he'd ever admit to. This was sure to be hardest on him and much as Anzu wanted to enjoy the time they had with Atem, she couldn't help but worry what the end of it would do to Yuugi. But as long as Yuugi was going to keep up a positive attitude about it, she would too. So she smiled at him and nodded in agreement. “You're right. It is good.”  
  
Any other discussion was cut off as Mana suddenly bounded over to them. “Good morning,” she greeted with a wide, cheery smile. “His Majesty wants me to help set you guys up for the journey today! First thing's first, you can't keep up in the desert dressed like that!”  
  
She moved between the group, all of whom had wandered over at the sound of her voice, handing each of them a set of clothes that matched the ones the rest of the company were wearing. “They won't fit perfectly,” she said as she went, “I had to guess who around here had extra clothes that would match you guys – that one's mine, actually, sorry, but I'm the only one small enough for you! - oh that one I had to steal from Set, but ah, don't tell him that, please! I'm Mana, by the way. His Majesty says you guys are his 'honored guests' and we're all to treat you with respect! That's a pretty high honor, you guys must be really important. They're handing out breakfast portions over there, please feel free to get some after you've changed! We should be moving out within the hour. Ask me any questions you might have! Oh, which one of you is Bakura?”  
  
The sudden halt in her rambling had them all blinking in surprise, trying to take in everything she had said. Mana was still beaming at them, not even a little bit out of breath. Bakura meekly rose his hand, eyes wide, alarmed. “Uh, that's me?”

  
Mana didn't miss a beat, immediately producing a small vial that looked to contain some kind of cream from what Yuugi could only hope was a hidden pocket at her waist. “This is for your sunburns! You can all share it, of course, but you're looking like you need it the most. No offense! But you really should have come out here better prepared, you know. Oh, also!” She held up a few small hair ties and handed a few to Bakura. “To keep your hair off your neck! There's some for you, too, Miss Anzu!”  
  
“Oh, uh, thank you, Mana,” Anzu said, taking the offered hair ties. “Can I ask you, where exactly are we going? To some kind of city?”  
  
“No, no, we're heading out on an excavation!” Mana looked between them, confused. “I'm sorry, I thought- His Majesty said you were going to be accompanying us!”  
  
“We are,” Yuugi said, giving her a reassuring smile. “Or at least, I am.” He turned to his friends, a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry guys, I kinda volunteered us all to go with them. At- His Majesty was going to arrange for some people to take us back to his capital city, but I told him we'd rather stick with him. I'm sure if any of you disagree, he can still get someone to take you.”  
  
“Nah, you made the right call, Yuugi,” Honda said, moving forward to put his hand on the other boy's shoulder. “It's much better for us to stay together now that we've found each other again.”  
  
An annoyed scoff pulled their attention in Kaiba's direction. He stood with his arms folded, glowering at them. “This is foolish. What good does it do us to be going further away from civilization? I highly doubt we're going to find a means to get back to our world out there, so why bother? That's not our priority right now.”  
  
“That's rich, coming from you,” Jounouchi shot back. “Up until now it seemed like your only priority was dueling Atem. You didn't care about anything else!”  
  
Honda discreetly kicked Jounouchi in the shin to get his attention. The blond cast him a confused glare but Honda simply nodded in Mana's direction, who was watching all this with a frown. Jounouchi caught on quickly and scrambled to cover his tracks. “Er, uh, I mean, duel His Majesty! The King. King Atem. You wanted to duel him and nothing else mattered! That's why we're here in the first place, isn't it? But you can't get your way, so now all of a sudden you're focused on getting us home?”  
  
“There is no good reason to remain here now,” Kaiba replied, keeping his cool. “And unless you all want to be stuck here forever, I suggest you get it into your heads that we're going to have to be the proactive ones. We're going to have to work out how to get back for ourselves. No one else is going to do it for us. Anything that serves as a distraction from that goal is a waste of time.”  
  
“What's the rush?” asked Honda. He gulped as Kaiba leveled him with a glare.  
  
“Mokuba,” Kaiba said, his voice low and even. “I have my brother to get back to, just as I suspect you all have something or someone in your pathetic little lives you should be rushing back to. We don't have time to dally around in this desert any longer.”  


“You sound a bit bitter,” Jounouchi said, raising an eyebrow. “It's really got to you, hasn't it? That you're not gonna win against him.”  
  
Kaiba scoffed at that. “As he is now, he isn't worth beating.”  
  
That was Yuugi's cue to step in. Before Jounouchi could get another word out, Yuugi stepped forward, meeting Kaiba's gaze. “Mana just said that if you want to leave, they can get someone to take you. We won't stop you. But, Kaiba, I think it's best if we all stay together. We will get home, don't worry. Mokuba will be fine in the meantime.” He might have added that as far as they knew now, time between this world and theirs was not flowing at the same rate. In the two days they'd been in this place, probably only a minute or two had gone by in their world. Mokuba most likely didn't even know Kaiba was gone. Neither did Yuugi's grandfather or mother. None of them were worried, none of them were out looking for them and wouldn't be for some time.  
  
But with Mana there, still watching them, trying to decipher what in the world they were talking about, Yuugi kept that thought to himself. He was sure Kaiba knew it, anyway. He was just angry and frustrated, and so in turn was being difficult towards them just because he could be. So instead he just shrugged and said, “It's up to you.”  
  
Kaiba didn't respond to that, simply turning away in a huff. Yuugi rolled his eyes. There were times when Kaiba really could act just like a petulant child and Yuugi didn't have the patience to deal with that right now. There were more important things for him to focus on. Like Atem.  
  
“You guys are kind of weird,” said Mana, looking between them all curiously. “Anyway, uh, you should go ahead and get changed! Miss Anzu, you can come with me and change away from the guys!”  
  
The two girls headed away to get some privacy while Yuugi and the others went ahead and changed. It was a bit awkward, especially with so many strangers standing not too far away, but the relief they felt as soon as they slipped into the new, lighter clothes was well worth it. Even Kaiba had to strip out of his trench coat and tight black clothes, though he did so at a distance. He had to preserve his modesty somehow.  
  
In time, Mana and Anzu returned and Mana gathered up their discarded clothes with the promise that they would be stowed away and returned to them, if they so desired, once they were back in the city. Not long after that, the camp was completely dissolved. The company came together and, under Atem's direction, began their trek into the Crilaa Desert.  
  
Atem, along with Set and Mahaad, were at the front of the procession. As much as Yuugi wanted to try to make his way over to him, he wasn't willing to try to get close to him with Set there. The rest of the company was already giving them a wide berth, clearly uncomfortable with their unexpected presence. Only Mana stuck close to them, happily chatting with Anzu and answering questions.  
  
Jounouchi in particular had many questions.  
  
“Why,” he groaned about an hour into the journey, “are we _walking_? Do you guys not have horses or anything? Those guys are literally dragging the entire camp with us!”  
  
And indeed, a group of about fifteen people were carrying the broken down elements of the camp, leaving a trail behind them in the sand. Most of the rest of the group were also carrying bags, some filled, some empty. Everything was being done by hand, the company themselves acting as the beasts of burden.  
  
The question drew an amused laugh from Mana. “Horses can't come out here! Actually, most animals can't. It's something in the sand, vibrations or... something. Mammals don't like, most reptiles, too! They turn away at the edge of the desert. The sound or the smell or something just agitates them. People can't hear it, though, so we don't have a problem!”  
  
“So every time, every single time you guys want to come out here for... whatever it is you guys do, you have to carry everything yourselves?”  
  
“That's right!”  
  
Jounouchi stared at her as if she had grown a second head. “That's insane.”  
  
As it turned out, the entire venture was rather insane, though it was some time before they realized just _how_ insane.  
  
They journey took several days. Each day was much the same as the first: the camp was pulled down quickly in the morning, they set out into the desert in some direction that Atem, at least, seemed to know where they were headed, then at nightfall, when they had found nothing, the camp was erected once more. Come morning, they'd rinse, repeat.  
  
Mana remained the only one to actively come and speak with them, everyone else doing their best to pretend they simply didn't exist. Atem made time every day to come spend time with them, but it wasn't nearly enough, certainly not as much as Yuugi would've liked. But still, Atem was King, and was here to lead. He could only take so much time to come talk to the strange foreigners in their midst.  
  
During the time they had together, Atem mostly wanted to talk about what he'd missed since he left them. Everything they'd been up to, even the most mundane things, he wanted to hear it all. Yuugi tried several times to turn it around, to get Atem to talk more about his life in this strange new world, but Atem didn't seem keen to speak about it.  
  
“There isn't much that I can say that's of any real interest,” he'd say with a shrug. “My youth was spent preparing to be King. Studying, watching, observing. Constant learning, that was my life. Since becoming King, I've simply been exercising what I've learned. Which mostly means paperwork. Piles and piles of paperwork. And meetings. Endless meetings. Nothing of real interest.”  
  
“It's more interesting than my schoolwork,” Yuugi insisted.  
  
Atem shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Not to me.”  
  
Despite how happy he was to see Atem, the journey itself became tedious by the second day. It was just endless walking, walking, and more walking, with nothing in sight in any direction. The emptiness of the desert left Yuugi feeling uneasy, like it was endless. Like no matter how far they went, they'd never find anything. They would simply keep walking until they the sun and sand wore them down to their bones.  
  
“Why is this place like this?” he asked Atem one evening as the camp was being brought up around them. “It's so dead. I don't understand it. It's not natural.”  
  
Atem sighed deeply, casting a glance over the vast expanse of sandy hills. “You're not wrong. It _isn't_ natural.”  
  
Either because they heard what Atem said or because they had some sort of sixth sense about this sort of thing, the rest of the group gravitated towards the two, clearly interested in hearing what Atem had to say.  
  
“Mana said animals can't come out here,” said Honda. “Something about the sand vibrating and making sounds or something?”  
  
“Something like that,” Atem agreed with a nod. “We've never been able to confirm just what it is that bothers them. It may just be magic that they can sense and we can't. This entire place is a product of magic, after all.”  
  
Anzu strode up behind him. “How so?”  
  
“This land used to be a great kingdom, many centuries ago. It was one of two highly advanced civilizations that happened to be founded on a Source.”  
  
“Source?” Jounouchi piped in. “Like a power source?”  
  
Atem nodded. “Essentially. There are certain places in the world where magic is naturally stronger, more poignant. The same is true of bodies, actually, but that's another story. One of the two most powerful Sources ever discovered was at the heart of this land. Its sister is far to the North, still intact. The Sources are marked by great towers made of glass. Very few alive today know how to actually access their power, so we don't actually know much about them. But the people of Caledda thrived off that power. They used it to fuel their magic and their technology alike, and become one of the most advanced nations to ever exist. What are you doing?”  
  
His question was directed to Bakura, who had produced a small notebook and pencil from somewhere and was scribbling madly as Atem spoke. Feeling eyes on him, Bakura glanced up and a flush crept across his face. “Sorry,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. “I was just taking notes. This is the sort of thing I could use in my RPG campaigns, so...”  
  
Jounouchi snorted, amused, while the others just shook their heads. Atem raised an eyebrow but didn't push it any further. Instead he just resumed where he left off.  
  
“Anyway, no one knows for certain what happened to Caledda. The legend goes that the Gods themselves looked down on them and saw their dependence on magic, saw how they turned away from the Gods and showed no appreciation for them anymore and decided to punish them and so buried the entire land under sand. Others believe that the mages of Caledda did it themselves on accident, some kind of experiment or spell gone wrong. Or maybe it was something else entirely. There's no surviving records that detail exactly what happened, and what few accounts do exist can't be decrypted, so we're left to speculate. The only one left alive who could us any answers is Qaotram, and he will say nothing on the matter.”  
  
Anzu perked up at that. “I've heard that name before! I think a few people have talked about that, uh, or him? But no one's said who he is.”  
  
“He, uh, isn't really a he,” Atem said, frowning. “Qaotram is a giant. Made of stone. He's stood guard over this desert since Caledda was buried.”  
  
Everyone blinked. Yuugi was the first to speak up. “A... stone giant?”  
  
Atem nodded. “He was built and given sentience by the high mages of Caledda. He's the only thing that survived the nation's destruction. He's the one who keeps people from crossing. That's why you don't see any bandits or anyone else out here. He can sense them, wherever they are. That's why Mahaad was so surprised to find you out there. Qaotram should have noticed you. Perhaps he did, and simply assumed you were with us for some reason. Who knows.”  
  
“I don't get it,” said Honda. “If this Qaatrum thing keeps everyone out, why are you guys here?”  
  
“A few decades back, the old ruins of the city started to be unearthed. Just the natural progression of time and decay, shifting the sand and the earth around to expose what's buried underneath. My great-grandmother, when she stood as Queen, only fourteen years old, ventured out here to meet with Qaotram and strike a deal: if he should let our people explore the old ruins and take from them things of value, that could benefit the advancement of our nation, we, in turn, would give him a portion of what we found. He agreed, on the condition that the standing King or Queen would always oversee these ventures personally. Hence why I'm here.”  
  
Everyone fell silent as they took this information in. It was bizarre, to be sure, the sort of thing Yuugi knew he'd find in a fantasy novel or video game. Yet the way Atem spoke of it was so grounded, so certain. To him, this wasn't a fantasy or a fairytale, it was the simple truth that he knew to be real. He'd seen this giant. He'd been to these ruins. Nothing about this was unreal to him. It was unnerving in some ways. This probably should have been second nature to Yuugi, too, what with all the magic and supernatural things he'd experienced in his life already. But maybe it was just the fact that he'd settled back into a sort of normalcy in the time since the Ceremonial Duel. He'd forgotten what it was like, to have strange and fantastical things happen all around him.  
  
Atem, on the other hand, had not forgotten what it was like to live such a life. To be surrounded by the strange and impossible. As he watched Atem talk, regaling them with more legends and history of the land, Yuugi couldn't help feel a sense of sadness. A sense of failure. He'd believed, all those months ago, that the Ceremonial Duel was the end of it for Atem. That he would go to the Afterlife and finally have peace, free from duty, free from the burden of destiny, free from the constant hassle and suffering that seemed to follow him. Free from strange magic and monsters and Gods and kingdoms.  
  
But that wasn't the case. Atem was alive, again, and while Yuugi couldn't be upset about that, never, he couldn't help but wish desperately that Atem's life was at least different. That it was normal.  
  
That it was back home, in Domino City. With him.  
  
He kept those thoughts to himself.  
  
\---  


At first light, they set out once more.

  
Less than an hour into their journey, a sound echoed across the land. A piercing scream, clearly not human, but Yuugi couldn't pinpoint what else it was. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, sent a shiver down his spine. Around him, Yuugi could see that everyone tense up, their steps faltering.  
  
“What the hell was that?!” Jounouchi hissed, looking around in alarm.  
  
“I would imagine,” said Atem, abandoning his usual spot at the head of the company to approach his confused friends, “that it is a dragon. There's no need to worry. Their cries tend to carry across vast differences, but it will not actually venture this far North.”  
  
Jounouchi's eyes widened. “A-a dragon? Like Red Eyes or Blue Eyes?”  
  
Those words caught Kaiba's attention and he turned to stare intently at Atem, though he kept quiet, as he had done for the majority of their journey thus far.  
  
Atem smiled, a wide smile, all teeth. For the first time since Yuugi had ever known him, his eyes seemed unnatural. Deep, haunting, and so red.  
  
“No. Not like that at all.”  
  
He was no more forthcoming than that.  
  
The rest of the day was silent. Despite Atem's assurances, each of them could not help but cast anxious glances around, expecting to see some great lizard, all teeth and fire, baring down on them. No such lizard came, but they still slept uneasily that night.  
  
\---  
  
The ruins came without warning. One moment they were looking out at more endless sand, still going on forever, and then the next moment they were there. A crumbling tower rising up in front of them, reaching towards the blue sky for the first time in many hundreds of years.  
  
It was beautiful by design and tragic in its decay. Yuugi could only imagine how breathtaking it had been in its prime, before time and sand wore it down and left it as dead as the people who had built it. This tower, still half buried, the only proof that anyone had ever lived here. That they had existed, that they had accomplished so much.  
  
The emergence of the tower sparked a sudden flurry of activity.  
  
Atem was yelling orders that Yuugi didn't hear. Set had produced a map that he was working on, presumably recounting their trail and marking their current location. The company was in overdrive. They piled up the empty bags they'd been carrying the whole time in two piles. Mahaad had taken a few men and were scouting out the perimeter of the tower, searching for a way in, confirming it was even safe to go in if they could.  
  
Yuugi and the others simply stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do. Atem was too distracted to pay them any attention, but thankfully Mana noticed their plight and made her way over to them with a smile.  
  
“If you guys are willing, I'm sure we can use your help searching the tower!”  
  
“Uhhh... I mean, we can if you want,” said Jounouchi, eying the tower, uncertain. “But what exactly are we looking for?”  
  
“Anything! Everything!” Mana's smile was wide, infectious. “Honest, if you can pick it up and carry it out, take it. We'll sort out what we can keep, what we can offer, and what to leave once it's all out. Even the bodies you can bring out!”  
  
There was a long pause. Then...  
  
“Bodies?!”  
  
“Of course.” Mana blinked at them, clearly confused by their alarm. “There's always skeletons and bodies in these ruins. People were buried in them, you know? So we like to bring them out and give them a proper burial if we can. It's only right.”  
  
Anzu looked faintly green. “But I mean... you want us to touch them?!”  
  
“You don't have to if it grosses you out! Just let me or someone else know if you find a body and we'll pull it out.”  
  
They exchanged silent glances. None of them were too keen on the idea of heading into the crumbling tower, especially not if there was going to be old corpses lying around, but they also knew they couldn't sit back and do nothing while everyone else got to work. Atem would certainly let them stand back and do nothing, but it wasn't fair. As cold as the company had been towards them, it wasn't right, not after they'd shared their food, their clothes, their shelter. They had to do their part.  
  
Yuugi sighed. “Alright, we'll do that, Mana. Thank you. Just let us know what you want to us to do.”  
  
Mana smiled bright. “Of course! We should be heading in soon, so get ready!”  
  
And indeed, it wasn't long before Mahaad made his way back over to the group, a triumphant smirk on his lips.  
  
“The way is open,” he said, approaching Atem. “It still stands strong enough, it will be safe. We can go in.”  
  
Atem grinned, facing the tower, everyone around him falling in line without him needing to utter a word. They were ready. Yuugi, too, found himself filling with confidence and determination at the sight of him. Atem was a King with a demanding presence, and what he demanded was dedication, loyalty. He demanded that those around him did their absolute best in everything they set their minds to, in everything he asked of them. And just from the way he stood, just from the look in his eyes, those around him wanted to live up to his expectations. They wanted to be worthy of him.  
  
Or at least Yuugi did.  
  
“Alright,” Atem said, his voice strong and sturdy, carrying over all of them. “Let's go.”

 


End file.
